The invention concerns a large round baler of the type designed for operating non-stop during the processes of forming, binding and/or wrapping and discharging formed bales.
EP-A-0 064 116 discloses a large round baler with a first and a second baling chamber, that can be charged alternately and thereby permit an uninterrupted operation. For this purpose, a set of belts is provided that extends over a front and a rear housing section and over an intervening region. In the central region, two tension arms are provided that are connected to each other in joints and that control the corresponding section of the belts in such a way that the baling chamber is formed in the front or the rear housing section. As soon as a cylindrical bale is formed in the rear baling chamber, it is wrapped there and ejected. At the same time, a cylindrical bale is formed in the front baling chamber and laid upon a side conveyor after its completion for deposit alongside the baler.
The problem underlying the invention is seen in the fact that a separate conveyor is required for the delivery of the cylindrical bale from the front baling chamber and that a costly mechanism is necessary in order to guide the belts correspondingly.
According to the present invention there is provided a novel continuously operating baler.
An object of the invention is to provide a continuous baler wherein an upper baling chamber section including a pair of side walls is movable fore-and-aft relative to front and rear conveyors of a lower baling chamber section so as to cooperate with the latter to respectively define front and rear baling chambers for alternately receiving crop during the baling process.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a continuous baler, as defined in the previous object, wherein the upper chamber section includes front and rear portions in the form of a plurality of rolls located so as to define a circular arc when in respective lowered positions, and so as to permit wrapping of a formed bale located on the rear conveyor, and its discharge from the baler after being wrapped, when the front and rear chamber portions of the upper chamber section are in their respective raised positions.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the appended drawings.